Hebrews 9:22 Without Shedding Blood there is no Forgiveness

Many people understand this verse:

“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” (Heb 9:22)

to be saying that God cannot forgive sins unless there is payment of death (shedding of blood). When you think about it, a God like that is kind of scary – “I can’t forgive unless I see blood; someone or something has to die first.” Does that sound like a forgiving God to you or more like a God who demands His “pound of flesh”?

Speaker and author Jeremy Myers has some very good insights on this passage showing conclusively that no, God does not require the shedding of blood in order to forgive sins.   He presents ten reasons why Hebrews 9:22 does not teach that the shedding of blood is required for the forgiveness of sins.

See Jeremy’s presentation here:

My booklet on Forgiveness agrees with that. It is a great relief to people to realize that God does not condemn them for their sins. The loving attitude of God towards us helps us to respond in kind to Him.

Also, see a sermon from 1897 by George Fifield where he dealt with Heb 9:22 and Christian Consecration. It is quite amazing to see that, as early as 1897, some realized that Hebrews 9:22 was not saying that God required blood to forgive sin.